Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Are there any known female shmup developers?

Dona Bailey who made the arcade game Centipede along with Ed Logg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dona_Bailey

Sarah Jane Avory who's made several games including Zeta Wing: https://sarahjaneavory.itch.io/zeta-wing

[Starfighter]

Thanks again everyone for the replies! Much appreciated!

[Arino]

It seems like there was a TV show (in Japan) focused on STG performance. It was on "Mondo 21" apparently. I assume it has been terminated.

I've found several episodes (JP, untranslated) like this one : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btW2MOxvWUM
If you want to see more, just check the same yt channel.

I'm not sure about the time span of the broadcast, neither about the years (somewhere inside the 2010-2015 interval probably).

I don't understand japanese. If anyone is interested in translating the shows, feel free

Steven can you dub them all or make eng subs? By tomorrow if possible. Thanks.

[Lemnear]

Spoiler

Are NEO XYX and Super XYX two different games? Is Super a sequel? or is it some kind of re-edit?

Neo XYX was released on the Neo-Geo MVS & AES gaming platforms whereas with Super XYX, it's a spiritual reboot of Neo XYX (that runs on PC/Steam). What's cool about Neo XYX is, you can play in either tate or yoko -- how cool is that?

What's remarkable about Neo XYX is, it was the first homebrew MVS arcade stg title ever, to have tate capability from the get-go.

With Super XYX, you can play it in tate or yoko as well. Neo XYX was also released as a Dreamcast GD-Rom disc so if you don't have the proper means with access to an MVS or AES setup, a handy and more accessible DC gaming console will suffice just fine.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Spoiler

Are NEO XYX and Super XYX two different games? Is Super a sequel? or is it some kind of re-edit?

All I have to add is that they were made by different developers. I've never played Neo XYX, but I have played Last Hope for Dreamcast by the same dev, so I'm fairly confident saying that you aren't missing anything by sticking to Super XYX. Last Hope was pretty trash.

I would have preferred there to be the original version...(maybe i'll emulate it at this point...) and i'll wait for the other one on PS4/PS5.
More than anything it's for the bright colors that i want it

Are there any known female shmup developers?

Carol Shaw, River Raid. Never played it, always sounded pretty legit though. Especially hearing she's a Scramble appreciator, and added a Starting Loop select for later ports!

It's incredibly simple...and incredibly fun!!! I even voted it

It seems like there was a TV show (in Japan) focused on STG performance. It was on "Mondo 21" apparently. I assume it has been terminated.

I've found several episodes (JP, untranslated) like this one : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btW2MOxvWUM
If you want to see more, just check the same yt channel.

I'm not sure about the time span of the broadcast, neither about the years (somewhere inside the 2010-2015 interval probably).

I don't understand japanese. If anyone is interested in translating the shows, feel free

There is automatic translation but i don't know how accurate it is...
strange how all that is left from their partners WW2 days is a random use of Italian/German words used in video games or anime...like Mondo or Weiss/Weiß LOL

[Arino]

Spoiler

Are NEO XYX and Super XYX two different games? Is Super a sequel? or is it some kind of re-edit?

Neo XYX was released on the Neo-Geo MVS & AES gaming platforms whereas with Super XYX, it's a spiritual reboot of Neo XYX (that runs on PC/Steam). What's cool about Neo XYX is, you can play in either tate or yoko -- how cool is that?

What's remarkable about Neo XYX is, it was the first homebrew MVS arcade stg title ever, to have tate capability from the get-go.

With Super XYX, you can play it in tate or yoko as well. Neo XYX was also released as a Dreamcast GD-Rom disc so if you don't have the proper means with access to an MVS or AES setup, a handy and more accessible DC gaming console will suffice just fine.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Spoiler

Are NEO XYX and Super XYX two different games? Is Super a sequel? or is it some kind of re-edit?

All I have to add is that they were made by different developers. I've never played Neo XYX, but I have played Last Hope for Dreamcast by the same dev, so I'm fairly confident saying that you aren't missing anything by sticking to Super XYX. Last Hope was pretty trash.

I would have preferred there to be the original version...(maybe i'll emulate it at this point...) and i'll wait for the other one on PS4/PS5.
More than anything it's for the bright colors that i want it

Are there any known female shmup developers?

Carol Shaw, River Raid. Never played it, always sounded pretty legit though. Especially hearing she's a Scramble appreciator, and added a Starting Loop select for later ports!

It's incredibly simple...and incredibly fun!!! I even voted it

It seems like there was a TV show (in Japan) focused on STG performance. It was on "Mondo 21" apparently. I assume it has been terminated.

I've found several episodes (JP, untranslated) like this one : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btW2MOxvWUM
If you want to see more, just check the same yt channel.

I'm not sure about the time span of the broadcast, neither about the years (somewhere inside the 2010-2015 interval probably).

I don't understand japanese. If anyone is interested in translating the shows, feel free

There is automatic translation but i don't know how accurate it is...
strange how all that is left from their partners WW2 days is a random use of Italian/German words used in video games or anime...like Mondo or Weiss/Weiß LOL

Automatic translation is always useless and shit. Tbh though it may have improved by now over time? I'd be curious.

[Lemnear]

Automatic translation is always useless and shit. Tbh though it may have improved by now over time? I'd be curious.

I don't know, especially with Japanese i have the impression that the translator often makes mistakes.


Random Japanese STG Developer

Automatic Translation into English:
"by doing this you can get a higher score"

Real dialogue in Japanese:
"if i don't finish my own game with 1cc i will do harakiri"

[velo]

What's the difference between Ray’z Arcade Chronology and RayStorm X RayCrisis HD Collection? I'm not too familiar with the Ray series and I can't figure out what I'm looking at here. I'm eyeing the Switch download versions.

[Lemnear]

What's the difference between Ray’z Arcade Chronology and RayStorm X RayCrisis HD Collection? I'm not too familiar with the Ray series and I can't figure out what I'm looking at here. I'm eyeing the Switch download versions.

Ray'z Arcade Chronology contains: RayForce, RayStorm and RayCrisis
RayStorm x RayCrisis HD contans only Raystorm and RayCrisis

Consider that they are the M2 version, and that RayForce is only available there.
The alternative is RayForce made by City-Connection, which is more expensive and is a lower quality port than the one present in the Ray'z Arcade Chronology.

[Lemnear]

maybe i'll offend Steve but... i was enthusiastic about Kyukyoku Tiger (ARC), at least until i realized that the explosion of the enemies has the exact same color as the shots they fire and sometimes they fire just before exploding... this causes the shot to be initially covered by the explosion animation
As soon as i realized this, the game almost started to annoy me, but it has an OST that is too good to give up

[Lemnear]

starting from here, what are ALL the games that Hudson Soft used in their Caravan Festivals?
I can't find ports of almost anything... just something similar on Switch (which i don't have)...
The closest thing i've found is actually the Aleste Collection...

[Ghegs]

starting from here, what are ALL the games that Hudson Soft used in their Caravan Festivals?
I can't find ports of almost anything... just something similar on Switch (which i don't have)...
The closest thing i've found is actually the Aleste Collection...

From here:

1985: Star Force
1986: Star Soldier
1987: Hector '87
1988: Power League
1989: Gunhed
1990: Super Star Soldier
1991: Final Soldier
1992: Soldier Blade
1993: Hi-Ten Bomberman
1994: Hi-Ten Chara-Bomb
1995: Tengai Makyo ZERO
1996: Saturn Bomberman
1997: Bomberman B-Daman
1998: Okaikai Monogatari: Miracle of the Zone
1999: Okaikai Monogatari: Miracle of the Zone
2000: Power League Dream Stadium 2000
2006: Bomberman Land Touch!

[Lemnear]

starting from here, what are ALL the games that Hudson Soft used in their Caravan Festivals?
I can't find ports of almost anything... just something similar on Switch (which i don't have)...
The closest thing i've found is actually the Aleste Collection...

From here:

1985: Star Force
1986: Star Soldier
1987: Hector '87
1988: Power League
1989: Gunhed
1990: Super Star Soldier
1991: Final Soldier
1992: Soldier Blade
1993: Hi-Ten Bomberman
1994: Hi-Ten Chara-Bomb
1995: Tengai Makyo ZERO
1996: Saturn Bomberman
1997: Bomberman B-Daman
1998: Okaikai Monogatari: Miracle of the Zone
1999: Okaikai Monogatari: Miracle of the Zone
2000: Power League Dream Stadium 2000
2006: Bomberman Land Touch!

Thanks!!!
WTH! NONE of these games have ever had ports :\
What is there that still has this philosophy and is available today?

[Ghegs]

starting from here, what are ALL the games that Hudson Soft used in their Caravan Festivals?
I can't find ports of almost anything... just something similar on Switch (which i don't have)...
The closest thing i've found is actually the Aleste Collection...

From here:

1985: Star Force
1986: Star Soldier
1987: Hector '87
1988: Power League
1989: Gunhed
1990: Super Star Soldier
1991: Final Soldier
1992: Soldier Blade
1993: Hi-Ten Bomberman
1994: Hi-Ten Chara-Bomb
1995: Tengai Makyo ZERO
1996: Saturn Bomberman
1997: Bomberman B-Daman
1998: Okaikai Monogatari: Miracle of the Zone
1999: Okaikai Monogatari: Miracle of the Zone
2000: Power League Dream Stadium 2000
2006: Bomberman Land Touch!

Thanks!!!
WTH! NONE of these games have ever had ports :\
What is there that still has this philosophy and is available today?

Well, Super Famicom and GBA did get Caravan Shooting Collection and Hudson Best Collection Vol. 5: Shooting Collection respectively, which collects Star Force, Star Soldier, and Hector '87 into one cartridge. Super Star Soldier and Soldier Blade are also available in the PC Engine Mini, and there's Star Parodier and Seirei Senshi Spriggan which have Caravan modes in there as well.

If you're referring to contemporary Caravan games, there's quite a few shmups that have 2/5 minute modes available. Pretty much all the titles from Terarin Games have those, and the games are available on Steam and Switch. Game Center CX: Arino no Chousenjou 1+2 REPLAY has a bunch of retro-like games, (most of) the shmups have a Caravan mode available and there's even global leaderboards.

What else...Bullet Soul has 'em, Ghost Blade HD has a Score Attack mode which is a single stage affair very similar to a Caravan mode, but it doesn't have a timer, so technically slightly different. Probably something else I'm forgetting at the moment.

[BulletMagnet]

There's also the "Soldier Collection" for the Japanese PSP.

[Nahar]

Hello guys. I was reading this interview with Shigeru Yokoyama about Galaga and he mentions that the game had autofire. I never played Galaga with autofire and the MAME rom doesn't have any, but I've been reading that it was optional and built in the cabinet so the arcade operator could choose to activate it.

Can anyone give me a clue about what's going on here? Did Galaga have autofire preinstalled?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Hello guys. I was reading this interview with Shigeru Yokoyama about Galaga and he mentions that the game had autofire. I never played Galaga with autofire and the MAME rom doesn't have any, but I've been reading that it was optional and built in the cabinet so the arcade operator could choose to activate it.

Can anyone give me a clue about what's going on here? Did Galaga have autofire preinstalled?

The Bally-Midway variant Galaga pcb wasn't set to have autofire but later on, I came across another Bally-Midway Galaga cab that did have autofire from the "get-go" -- this was back in the early 1990s (I had to assume that someone added an external autofire hack pcb to the Bally-Midway Galaga pcb). Of course at end of a Galaga session with autofire, the CPU would show "how many shots fired" + "hit/miss ratio percentage" as well. Not to mention that playing the "Challenge Stage" was easier to earn the "40 hits" maximum benchmark/goal indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Nahar]

Thank you for your answer. The thing that puzzles me is Shigeru Yokoyama stating in that interview that they had autofire in Galaga.

The relevant part is this one:

"—I see, and Galaga is the game where you did everything yourself, including the initial conception.

Yokoyama: That’s right. Unfortunately, King & Balloon used the same hardware as Galaxian, so it couldn’t do autofire. In King & Balloon, the enemies steal the King, and that puts you in a state of panic, right? I wanted to have tons of bullets to reflect that panicked mindset, but sadly the Galaxian hardware couldn’t do that, so we settled on making the bullets faster than they had been in Galaxian. I was also told to make it autofire, but since we weren’t using sprites, we couldn’t do autofire either.
—I see, interesting. So even at this very early point in STG game history, developers were thinking about autofire. And then new hardware came along and you could add it.

Yokoyama: That’s right. With new hardware the impossible became possible."

They're talking about how Galaga was originally planned to run on Galaxian hardware, but in the end it had its own board.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

What I meant to say is with the autofire endowed Bally-Midway Galaga cab, the autofire rate was "sped-up" -- you could press and hold down the fire button for some serious sped-up continuious autofiring action which made playing Galaga quite a different beast to play it compared to the regular non-autofire Galaga pcb (in retrospect, it had to be an external autofire pcb installed that was cranked up making for quite a different overall Galaga gaming session/experience).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Steven]

Something I have been wondering about for years: Raiden IV: what is the best missile? I know it's not R, so that leaves M and H.

[Lemnear]

Currently as a "Retro" Console or "Mini" Console i only have the Playstation Classic Mini (extremly modded via USB etc. etc.)
I intended to get another one, but there are quite a few, which one is the best in terms of value for money//title portfolio//any accessories//extra features// and so on?

The Mini PC-Engine is practically impossible to find...the SNK NeoGeo Mini is interesting for the controller! but there are at least 5 if not more versions of the console.
Taito Egret II? Sega Astro City? Astro City V?
Who has the best emulation?
Feature Extras? Various menus etc.?

PS: I don't like the black bars on the sides.

If there's one thingi hate, it's that controller cables are short...

One possibility would also be the Evercade perhaps, i don't know.
If there are others, don't hesitate to mention them.

I actually don't know where to post this post, whether it's worth opening a specific topic about it, or whether it's better in the SHMUPS section or in the Other Games section.

EDIT: obviously i would never use the microscopic controller that comes with it if possible...and i would never use them with the supplied screen.

[Steven]

Unhacked, the best one is probably the Genesis Mini 2 or the European Mega Drive Mini 2. Japanese version might actually have the weaker set of games this time, especially because it's missing Herzog Zwei, which the overseas versions do have. It's the only mini system I have that doesn't have any discernible input lag, although the original Japanese Mega Drive Mini has Slap Fight MD, which automatically makes it the best of all of the mini consoles. I wouldn't even be here right now if that first MD Mini didn't exist with Slap Fight MD, so while it's a laggy piece of crap, I do have to acknowledge that it permanently changed my life in a positive way and as such I will never be able to hate it.

For the mini arcade things, the best set of games is on the Astro City Mini V (it has Out Zone, which automatically makes it the best library, but it also has Batrider, Bakraid, Same! Same! Same! 1P, Tatsujin Ou, Sonic Wings, V-V, Dogyuun!!, and some other stuff that I forgot), which is also the one that has the worst lag and sound emulation by far. I've heard the Egret II Mini is passable for a mini console, but I do know it's expensive to get all of the controllers and stuff, which is why I never bought it. It has Kyuukyoku Tiger and you can buy Slap Fight for it separately, which makes its game selection pretty good.

That said, if you have a hacked PS1 Mini, that's supposedly the best one anyway once it's hacked.

That said, you're better off using PC emulators than you are any of the mini consoles or mini arcade systems.

[Lemnear]

Unhacked, the best one is probably the Genesis Mini 2 or the European Mega Drive Mini 2. Japanese version might actually have the weaker set of games this time, especially because it's missing Herzog Zwei, which the overseas versions do have. It's the only mini system I have that doesn't have any discernible input lag, although the original Japanese Mega Drive Mini has Slap Fight MD, which automatically makes it the best of all of the mini consoles. I wouldn't even be here right now if that first MD Mini didn't exist with Slap Fight MD, so while it's a laggy piece of crap, I do have to acknowledge that it permanently changed my life in a positive way and as such I will never be able to hate it.

For the mini arcade things, the best set of games is on the Astro City Mini V (it has Out Zone, which automatically makes it the best library, but it also has Batrider, Bakraid, Same! Same! Same! 1P, Tatsujin Ou, Sonic Wings, V-V, Dogyuun!!, and some other stuff that I forgot), which is also the one that has the worst lag and sound emulation by far. I've heard the Egret II Mini is passable for a mini console, but I do know it's expensive to get all of the controllers and stuff, which is why I never bought it. It has Kyuukyoku Tiger and you can buy Slap Fight for it separately, which makes its game selection pretty good.

That said, if you have a hacked PS1 Mini, that's supposedly the best one anyway once it's hacked.

That said, you're better off using PC emulators than you are any of the mini consoles or mini arcade systems.

Too bad that the SEGA Astro Mini V has the most Input-Lag of all....its library is the smallest but it is monstrous:

Spoiler

Action Fighter
Armed Police Batrider
Battle Bakraid Unlimited Ver.
Batsugun
Cosmo Police Galivan
Desert Breaker
Dogyuun
Fire Shark
Grind Stormer
Gunbird
Kingdom Grandprix
Moon Cresta
Out Zone
Raiden
Samurai Aces
Sonic Wings
Strikers 1945
Super Zaxxon
Terra Cresta
Truxton
Truxton II
Wrestle War
Zaxxon

The SNK NeoGeo Mini (International) also has an excellent library:

Spoiler

3 Count Bout
Art of Fighting
Blazing Star
Blue’s Journey
Crossed Swords
Fatal Fury Special
Foot Ball Frenzy
Garou: Mark of the Wolves
Ghost Pilots
King of the Monsters
King of the Monsters 2
Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle
Last Resort
Magician Lord
Metal Slug
Metal Slug 2
Metal Slug 3
Metal Slug 4
Metal Slug 5
Metal Slug X
Mutation Nation
Ninja Master’s: Haou Ninpou Chou
Puzzled
Real Bout: Fatal Fury
Robo Army
Samurai Shodown II
Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa’s Revenge
Samurai Shodown V Special
Sengoku 3
Shock Troopers
Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad
Super Sidekicks
The King of Fighters ’95
The King of Fighters ’97
The King of Fighters ’98
The King of Fighters 2000
The King of Fighters 2002
The Last Blade 2
Top Player’s Golf
World Heroes Perfect

It's a shame, however, that they say that the quality of the HDMI (if connected to a TV) is not good, i don't understand how this can be possible.
Eeh i was thinking of getting one of these because i don't know how to set up or mod a new USB for the Playstation Mini or a Raspberry Pi4 (I didn't modify it by myself...)
and then on some games i have problems, like Battle Bakraid has no audio...others don't start at all (Raider Fighters Jet, EspGaluda etc.), or some work badly (GunForce I&II etc.)
I don't know how to put the covers correctly (the ones I put on myself sometimes don't work) and I don't know how to add the banners on the sides instead of the black bars.
On the other hand, I made the other controllers work
Furthermore, these mini consoles don't heat up, while the PS4/5 catches fire these days even with the air conditioning on... damn sea areas.

[BulletMagnet]

Something I have been wondering about for years: Raiden IV: what is the best missile? I know it's not R, so that leaves M and H.

I'm not a huge Raiden player but the impression I get is that for most of the series the strongest weapon combination is considered to be the wide shot and straight-ahead missile, thanks in large part to the sheer point-blank killing power the duo imparts. No idea if that applies to IV specifically, but I'd be inclined to guess it still holds there.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Unhacked, the best one is probably the Genesis Mini 2 or the European Mega Drive Mini 2. Japanese version might actually have the weaker set of games this time, especially because it's missing Herzog Zwei, which the overseas versions do have. It's the only mini system I have that doesn't have any discernible input lag, although the original Japanese Mega Drive Mini has Slap Fight MD, which automatically makes it the best of all of the mini consoles. I wouldn't even be here right now if that first MD Mini didn't exist with Slap Fight MD, so while it's a laggy piece of crap, I do have to acknowledge that it permanently changed my life in a positive way and as such I will never be able to hate it.

For the mini arcade things, the best set of games is on the Astro City Mini V (it has Out Zone, which automatically makes it the best library, but it also has Batrider, Bakraid, Same! Same! Same! 1P, Tatsujin Ou, Sonic Wings, V-V, Dogyuun!!, and some other stuff that I forgot), which is also the one that has the worst lag and sound emulation by far. I've heard the Egret II Mini is passable for a mini console, but I do know it's expensive to get all of the controllers and stuff, which is why I never bought it. It has Kyuukyoku Tiger and you can buy Slap Fight for it separately, which makes its game selection pretty good.

That said, if you have a hacked PS1 Mini, that's supposedly the best one anyway once it's hacked.

That said, you're better off using PC emulators than you are any of the mini consoles or mini arcade systems.

Too bad that the SEGA Astro Mini V has the most Input-Lag of all....its library is the smallest but it is monstrous:

Spoiler

Action Fighter
Armed Police Batrider
Battle Bakraid Unlimited Ver.
Batsugun
Cosmo Police Galivan
Desert Breaker
Dogyuun
Fire Shark
Grind Stormer
Gunbird
Kingdom Grandprix
Moon Cresta
Out Zone
Raiden
Samurai Aces
Sonic Wings
Strikers 1945
Super Zaxxon
Terra Cresta
Truxton
Truxton II
Wrestle War
Zaxxon

The SNK NeoGeo Mini (International) also has an excellent library:

Spoiler

3 Count Bout
Art of Fighting
Blazing Star
Blue’s Journey
Crossed Swords
Fatal Fury Special
Foot Ball Frenzy
Garou: Mark of the Wolves
Ghost Pilots
King of the Monsters
King of the Monsters 2
Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle
Last Resort
Magician Lord
Metal Slug
Metal Slug 2
Metal Slug 3
Metal Slug 4
Metal Slug 5
Metal Slug X
Mutation Nation
Ninja Master’s: Haou Ninpou Chou
Puzzled
Real Bout: Fatal Fury
Robo Army
Samurai Shodown II
Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa’s Revenge
Samurai Shodown V Special
Sengoku 3
Shock Troopers
Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad
Super Sidekicks
The King of Fighters ’95
The King of Fighters ’97
The King of Fighters ’98
The King of Fighters 2000
The King of Fighters 2002
The Last Blade 2
Top Player’s Golf
World Heroes Perfect

It's a shame, however, that they say that the quality of the HDMI (if connected to a TV) is not good, i don't understand how this can be possible.
Eeh i was thinking of getting one of these because i don't know how to set up or mod a new USB for the Playstation Mini or a Raspberry Pi4 (I didn't modify it by myself...)
and then on some games i have problems, like Battle Bakraid has no audio...others don't start at all (Raider Fighters Jet, EspGaluda etc.), or some work badly (GunForce I&II etc.)
I don't know how to put the covers correctly (the ones I put on myself sometimes don't work) and I don't know how to add the banners on the sides instead of the black bars.
On the other hand, I made the other controllers work
Furthermore, these mini consoles don't heat up, while the PS4/5 catches fire these days even with the air conditioning on... damn sea areas.

The trio mini consoles of PC Engine, Core Grafx & TurboGrafx-16 are quite stellar considering you get to play the Arcade CD-Rom2 stg of Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire with high score & high score initials saved for posterity (you can't do that on real PCE hardware) + save states capability from the get-go is another cool perk/bonus. If you use the optional 8Bitdo PCE wireless controller with the PCE/CG/TG-16 mini consoles, it's quite responsive + an additional two buttons above buttons I and II for autofire functionality (in lieu of of true autofire toggle switches featured on the real PCE/TG-16 gamepads).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Steven]

Something I have been wondering about for years: Raiden IV: what is the best missile? I know it's not R, so that leaves M and H.

I'm not a huge Raiden player but the impression I get is that for most of the series the strongest weapon combination is considered to be the wide shot and straight-ahead missile, thanks in large part to the sheer point-blank killing power the duo imparts. No idea if that applies to IV specifically, but I'd be inclined to guess it still holds there.

I ended up watching the replay that Jaimers posted and he used the homing missile for almost the entire first loop aside from a brief switch to the M missile on stage 2. He's also using the slower, more powerful Raiden II ship instead of the faster, weaker Raiden IV ship, so maybe he felt that the H missiles are better for that ship to make up for the slower speed. I don't like the Raiden II ship, though; too slow for my liking in a game with crazy fast enemy shots. Didn't check loop 2 yet since I'm still working on loop 1.

Unhacked, the best one is probably the Genesis Mini 2 or the European Mega Drive Mini 2. Japanese version might actually have the weaker set of games this time, especially because it's missing Herzog Zwei, which the overseas versions do have. It's the only mini system I have that doesn't have any discernible input lag, although the original Japanese Mega Drive Mini has Slap Fight MD, which automatically makes it the best of all of the mini consoles. I wouldn't even be here right now if that first MD Mini didn't exist with Slap Fight MD, so while it's a laggy piece of crap, I do have to acknowledge that it permanently changed my life in a positive way and as such I will never be able to hate it.

For the mini arcade things, the best set of games is on the Astro City Mini V (it has Out Zone, which automatically makes it the best library, but it also has Batrider, Bakraid, Same! Same! Same! 1P, Tatsujin Ou, Sonic Wings, V-V, Dogyuun!!, and some other stuff that I forgot), which is also the one that has the worst lag and sound emulation by far. I've heard the Egret II Mini is passable for a mini console, but I do know it's expensive to get all of the controllers and stuff, which is why I never bought it. It has Kyuukyoku Tiger and you can buy Slap Fight for it separately, which makes its game selection pretty good.

That said, if you have a hacked PS1 Mini, that's supposedly the best one anyway once it's hacked.

That said, you're better off using PC emulators than you are any of the mini consoles or mini arcade systems.

Too bad that the SEGA Astro Mini V has the most Input-Lag of all....its library is the smallest but it is monstrous:

Spoiler

Action Fighter
Armed Police Batrider
Battle Bakraid Unlimited Ver.
Batsugun
Cosmo Police Galivan
Desert Breaker
Dogyuun
Fire Shark
Grind Stormer
Gunbird
Kingdom Grandprix
Moon Cresta
Out Zone
Raiden
Samurai Aces
Sonic Wings
Strikers 1945
Super Zaxxon
Terra Cresta
Truxton
Truxton II
Wrestle War
Zaxxon

The SNK NeoGeo Mini (International) also has an excellent library:

Spoiler

3 Count Bout
Art of Fighting
Blazing Star
Blue’s Journey
Crossed Swords
Fatal Fury Special
Foot Ball Frenzy
Garou: Mark of the Wolves
Ghost Pilots
King of the Monsters
King of the Monsters 2
Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle
Last Resort
Magician Lord
Metal Slug
Metal Slug 2
Metal Slug 3
Metal Slug 4
Metal Slug 5
Metal Slug X
Mutation Nation
Ninja Master’s: Haou Ninpou Chou
Puzzled
Real Bout: Fatal Fury
Robo Army
Samurai Shodown II
Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa’s Revenge
Samurai Shodown V Special
Sengoku 3
Shock Troopers
Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad
Super Sidekicks
The King of Fighters ’95
The King of Fighters ’97
The King of Fighters ’98
The King of Fighters 2000
The King of Fighters 2002
The Last Blade 2
Top Player’s Golf
World Heroes Perfect

It's a shame, however, that they say that the quality of the HDMI (if connected to a TV) is not good, i don't understand how this can be possible.
Eeh i was thinking of getting one of these because i don't know how to set up or mod a new USB for the Playstation Mini or a Raspberry Pi4 (I didn't modify it by myself...)
and then on some games i have problems, like Battle Bakraid has no audio...others don't start at all (Raider Fighters Jet, EspGaluda etc.), or some work badly (GunForce I&II etc.)
I don't know how to put the covers correctly (the ones I put on myself sometimes don't work) and I don't know how to add the banners on the sides instead of the black bars.
On the other hand, I made the other controllers work
Furthermore, these mini consoles don't heat up, while the PS4/5 catches fire these days even with the air conditioning on... damn sea areas.

You can probably pick up a super cheap laptop and try that. I don't do emulation on PC, but I imagine that a $100~$150 USD PC should have no problems with emulators for most things aside from Saturn and PS2. Maybe also N64 and/or Dreamcast, but I don't know. Software emulation is CPU heavy, as the computer isn't running the game but running the emulator, which mostly uses the CPU, and the emulator is what runs the game, so I'd get something with a decent CPU if this is the route you choose.

For Neo Geo, ACA is the best option for emulation anyway. It has about 2/3 of the Neo Geo library and of what's missing the only one of note that I can remember is Andro Dunos, a fairly obscure and surprisingly difficult game with a weird and very harsh rank system. It's a cool game and its absence is disappointing, but that's how it is.

[Arino]

[...]

If I was you I'd get the following:

PC plus the controller of your choice - allows you to play all those arcade games on Mame (maybe you already have some kind of laptop or PC?) and anything on Steam.
Here is a great tutorial for Mame: https://youtu.be/MVl49TvdhnM?si=aUqAk2UMG379dCYH

MiSTer plus a free/cheap CRT TV (you can find one in your area by checking Ebay, or maybe you already have one?) - allows you to play A LOT, like PC Engine, Famicom, Game Boy, Neo Geo, CPS 1-3, other arcade stuff, Super Famicom, Mega Drive, 32X, Mega CD, Master System, PlayStation, GBA, etc.

[Steven]

MiSTer has become expensive and potentially difficult to get parts for because they sell out quickly. It also has completely terrible autofire and button mapping options. You get a max of two of the same button and exactly one autofire rate. This doesn't matter for things like Tatsujin Ou (which has hideous audio on MiSTer BTW) or DDP, but if you're trying to play something like Tatsujin (which also has broken audio on MiSTer), where you'd want ~10Hz + 30Hz + a regular non-auto shot button for the Thunder Laser, it's not happening using the MiSTer's internal autofire and button mapping functionality.

It's a good system when it works but it's a pain in the ass when it doesn't, sometimes the functionality just isn't there, and the emulation is a mixed bag ranging from generally good to the X68000 core. ACA, M2, or probably most PC emulators will easily outclass it while also being cheaper and easier to get.

[BurlyHeart]

Wow, first time I've heard someone argue against the Mister. I have no experience of the system, so can't say either way, but it's interesting to hear a different opinion.

[Bassa-Bassa]

It's because he acts like if there's nothing else besides Toaplan. Though I'm not sure if the few Cave games on Mister were actually finished there.

[spmbx]

For the price i see the commercial boys ask (500 euros?) i tend to agree with steven. It's a nice system, but it sure as hell is not 500 euros nice. (ymmv)